Chapter 98 Yuki Chihiro ⑥
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
[The Envyos Great Labyrinth¹.]
One of the Seven Great Labyrinths, it is managed by the Envyos Magic Academy. It is defined by three primary characteristics:
* First: It teems with monsters possessing high physical resistance or outright immunity to non-magical attacks.
* Second: The denizens of the deep are scaled specifically to the challenger’s Level.
* Third: The encounter rate-the “spawn” frequency-is significantly higher than in any other known dungeon.
Because of these factors, it is a paradise for grinding experience, but a nightmare for completionists. To this day, it is rumored that no one has ever set foot on the bottom floor.
Currently, I am diving into these depths alongside Kijima-san and her group, as well as Kodama-san. We have the Director’s official blessing, of course. My reasoning was simple: we need to level up. In this world, where life is a fragile, cheap thing, survival is a privilege reserved for the strong. I had to ensure we met that threshold.
* * *
A monster resembling a bloated snowman-technically a frost spirit-unleashed a freezing blizzard breath toward us.
”[Fire Wall!]” I shouted.
I cast the incantation instantly to intercept the frost. While I have mastered Silent Casting, I make it a point to call out my spells in a party setting so my allies can track my support.
As if waiting for that exact moment, two stone-skinned gargoyles leaped over the wall of flames. They ignored me, diving straight for the younger Kijima sister, Mei-san. She didn’t flinch. Drawing her longbow with practiced grace, she pulled the string; an arrow of pure light materialized where wood and feather should have been. She let fly, the shaft burying itself in a gargoyle’s shoulder. It wasn’t a kill shot-she had fired too quickly to aim perfectly-but it was enough to shatter the creature’s momentum.
The second gargoyle lunged before she could reset. It was a certain hit-or it would have been, if not for Rei-san. Moving in perfect sync with her sister, she thrust her spear forward, catching the beast on its edge.
The gargoyles, their gambit failed, beat their wings and retreated behind the dissipating wall of fire. The snowman, a Jack Frost, had exhausted its breath attack. I let the ‘Fire Wall’ fade. Defensive sorcery is a godsend, but the literal smoke and mirrors make it hard to maintain situational awareness.
I scanned the room. Wait. One’s missing.
We started with four: the Jack Frost, the two gargoyles, and a slime.
In this world, slimes aren’t the squishy, smiling mascots of popular RPGs. They are amorphous horrors that ignore physical trauma and dissolve organic matter on contact. They are more akin to the prehistoric “Blobs” from old-school horror cinema. There is no glowing core to aim for, either.
The slime was gone. Of the four, it was the most lethal. I felt a chill of intuition and looked up, realizing too late their preferred method of predation.
”[Above us!]” I yelled.
The slime dropped from the ceiling like a heavy curtain of sludge, aiming to swallow Kodama-san whole.
”Whoa?!” Kodama-san cried out, throwing herself aside just in time.
The slime hit the floor with a sickening splat. Had she been a second slower, she would be nothing but a dissolving scream right now. But a missed kill is a massive opening. We weren’t about to waste it.
”That was a little too close for comfort! [Lightning Bolt!]” Kodama-san shouted.
She retaliated with a surge of electricity. Physical blades might slide through a slime like water, but they are pathetically vulnerable to sorcery-especially heat, cold, and lightning. The bolt charred the creature instantly; it let out a hiss of steam and dissolved into motes of mana, leaving nothing behind but a solitary magic stone.
Three left. The biggest threat was down, but we couldn’t afford to get c**ky. We held our ground, eyes locked on the remaining monsters. They seemed hesitant; their predatory instincts warred with the sudden loss of their vanguard.
We didn’t give them time to think. We went on the offensive.
Mei-san loosed an arrow at the wounded gargoyle. It anticipated the shot, taking to the air to dodge, and then banked into a vengeful dive toward her. Once again, Rei-san was there-a silent wall of steel between her sister and the monster.
”Kodama-san, keep that other gargoyle busy!” I commanded.
She nodded and flung another ‘Lightning Bolt’. Gargoyles are as sturdy as the stone they resemble and boast natural resistances to most elements, lightning included. Despite Kodama-san’s high MAG stat, the beast took the hit and kept coming, its “aggro” now firmly locked on her.
”Agh, come on! Why are you so tanky?! Whoa-watch it!” Kodama-san grumbled, dancing back from its claws.
Her Level was on par with the gargoyle, and her raw stats were actually higher, but she wasn’t built for a melee brawl. She could hold it off, but I needed to end this fast.
That left the Jack Frost. It stared at me, and I stared back. It knew that if it turned its back on me to help its companions, I would cut it down in an instant. It was trapped in a duel of necessity.
The spirit launched an Ice Lance. I stepped aside, watching the jagged bolt whistle past. It was fast, but not unavoidable. I closed the distance, weaving through a barrage of frost.
The thing was a mindless product of the labyrinth; it didn’t have the wit to retreat. When it realized its shards couldn’t touch me, it drew in a massive breath for another blizzard-totally disregarding the fact that its own gargoyle allies were in the blast zone.
Efficient, but I was faster.
”[Fire Storm!]”
A localized vortex of flame erupted, swallowing the blizzard whole and slamming into the Jack Frost. As an ice spirit, it was fundamentally allergic to fire. The spirit began to melt, its form sagging, but it was still clinging to a sliver of existence.
I lunged forward, channeling mana into my blade with Silent Casting. The steel began to glow a dull, dangerous crimson.
‘Heat Blade.’
This was my answer to the Director’s assignment: “Create a spell not found in any textbook.” I had modeled it after Akiyama-kun’s Magic Sword skill. It lacked the raw, world-shaking power of the original, but for a dying snowman, it was more than enough.
I swung the red-hot blade in a heavy diagonal arc. Physical strikes usually pass through spirits, but the fire-augmented edge acted like a hot wire through wax. The Jack Frost evaporated into steam before it could even scream, leaving only a magic stone behind.
* * *
With the gargoyles dealt with, Kijima-san and the others began gathering the loot-palm-sized magic stones that shimmered with high-quality mana. Kodama-san let out a little cheer. These stones were our primary source of income, and the market for them was always booming.
While they celebrated, I pulled up my Status.
Name: Yuki Chihiro
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: Magic Swordsman
Level: 24
LP: 9900/9900
MP: 785/1485
Condition: Normal
Attributes:
* STR: 990
* VIT: 990
* DEX: 825
* AGI: 1155
* MAG: 990
* MIN: 495
Skills:
* Language Comprehension (UN)
* Appraisal (R)
* Item Box (R)
* Natural Talent² (UN)
* Sword Mastery Lv9 (R)
* Element Mastery³ (SR)
* Lifestyle Magic (C)
* Augmentation Magic Lv7 (R)
* Strengthening Magic Lv5 (SR)
* Healing Magic Lv4 (UC)
* Mana Circulation (SR)
* Intimidation (SR)
* Dismantling Lv10 (MAX) (C)
* Coachman Lv8 (C)
* Horse Riding Lv7 (C)
* Cooking Lv5 (C)
* Presence Detection (UC)
Titles:
* The Teleported
* Hero
* Witch
* Envyos Magic Academy Student
* Monster Hunter (Amber)
My Level had surged thanks to these frequent dives. My skills were following suit; almost everything had hit high ranks. It was all thanks to my unique skill, Natural Talent. It allows me to learn almost anything just by observing or hearing of it once. Not to brag, but I have always been a quick study, even back home, so I guess the system just manifested that trait.
I had also discovered that Level 10 is the hard cap for skills. My Dismantling had already hit the ceiling; I can now strip a monster of its rare materials without staining my hands with blood or putting a single nick on the loot.
Sword Mastery and Element Mastery were integrated skills-amalgamations of the four blade types and the eight elemental affinities. While Sword Mastery isn’t unheard of, the Director told me that only three people in the world-including himself-possess Element Mastery. One is his star pupil, a Director at a sorcery academy in Greedia.
As for Intimidation, I had picked that up after a near-death encounter with a giant wolf. It was a sobering realization that the “terror” I felt then was actually the mechanical effect of a skill.
Then there was the ‘Witch’ title. I am a guy, so I had questions, but apparently, it is a standard title granted to anyone who masters Mana Circulation. It is just that women usually find that skill easier to learn, so a male ‘Witch’ is a rare sight. At least I wasn’t the only one with The Teleported title; several other guys from my world had that one.
But looking at these numbers, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. If I had been this strong back then… If I had possessed this power, maybe I could have saved him. Maybe I could have saved Natsumi.
I exhaled a long, heavy sigh. There is no use in “what-ifs.” I have done my grieving. I have done my soul-searching. All I can do now is take those bitter lessons and turn them into strength.
Time to move. My MP was running low, and the others weren’t doing much better. I was about to suggest we head back when my Presence Detection flared.
We were a long way from the floor’s Gate. It looked like the trip home wasn’t going to be easy. I signaled the girls, and we fell back into our fighting stances as something drew closer through the dark.
—
Summary:
Chihiro and his party navigate the Envyos Labyrinth to level up. They face a coordinated group of monsters including a Jack Frost, Gargoyles, and a lethal Slime. After a fierce battle where Chihiro debuts his original spell ‘Heat Blade,’ he reviews his significantly improved Status and reflects on past failures.
—
Trivia:
- Slimes in this world are horror-movie style ‘Blobs’, not cute RPG mascots.
- Chihiro uses Silent Casting but vocalizes spells to coordinate with his party.
- The ‘Witch’ title is a gender-neutral designation for mastering Mana Circulation.
- Chihiro’s ‘Natural Talent’ skill is the source of his rapid learning.
- The Director only knows of three people with ‘Element Mastery’ in the world
—
Character Insight:
Chihiro is driven by a deep survivor’s guilt regarding someone named Natsumi and another ‘him.’ This trauma fuels his obsession with gaining strength so he never fails to protect others again.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author notes the difficulty of writing combat scenes and expresses hope for hitting a 10,000pt milestone on the platform.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Kodama – Kodama Satomi. A self-proclaimed fan of Chihiro. A bronzed girl with bleached hair. She uses Lightning Bolt sorcery. Her stats are noted to be higher than a Gargoyle’s, though she is not built for melee.
• Mei – One of the Kijima twin sisters. She uses a longbow that creates arrows of light. She is part of Chihiro’s party in the Envyos Labyrinth.
• Rei – One of the Kijima twin sisters. The eldest one. She uses a spear and acts as the frontline defense for her sister. She demonstrates ‘perfect sync’ with Mei.
• Chihiro – Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Yuki – Yuki Chihiro. Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Natsumi – The protagonist. Height 168 to 171 cm, weight 57 to 59 kg. He has a baby face, but he hides his eyes with his bangs. He was bullied by the Sugita gang just because his name sounded like a girl’s name.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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